WNYC Podcast: In the Arts it’s Rookies versus Veterans
WNYC recently broadcast a segment that touched on the “grey-ing” of the non-profit arts sector. It’s a familiar subject that most artists have heard plenty about: The audience for the arts is gradually getting older and unless an effort is made to engage a younger demographic, many art institutions will die with its patrons.
But this debate focuses specifically around arts leadership: Are seasoned veterans more equipped to run arts institutions than younger administrators with new (and potentially controversial) ideas? What can the arts industry do to cultivate younger leaders and what is their place in the institutions’ future.
Here’s the summary of the debate from their website:
If it’s too loud, you’re too old. That’s the old rock ‘n’ roll saying. But many believe veteran experience counts in running arts organizations. Others say fresh blood is needed at a time when the arts need to reach younger audiences. In this week’s “Soundcheck Smackdown,” Lee Rosenbaum, a veteran cultural journalist who blogs for Artsjournal.com; and Barry Hessenius, author of the study “Involving Youth in Nonprofit Arts Organizations,” square off on the topic.